KATHMANDU: Seven employees, including the chief administrative officer of Rolpa’s Thabang Rural Municipality, have gone missing since the morning of Asar 24. With the fiscal year-end approaching, the sudden disappearance has disrupted administrative work and stalled payments amounting to Rs 50–60 million.
According to a statement issued by Municipality Chairperson Rishikesh Budha Magar, the employees’ absence has severely affected daily operations. The missing group includes the chief administrative officer, finance head, two sub-engineers, the head of administration, an assistant technician, and a driver.
Sources claim that before their disappearance, these employees had allegedly demanded bribes from local contractors in exchange for clearing payments. After contractors refused to pay, the officials reportedly fled without releasing the funds. Unconfirmed reports suggest they are hiding in a hotel in Baglung, with their phones switched off.
The municipality also noted that the employees became unreachable during a network outage caused by Nepal Telecom service disruption from 7 PM on Asar 23 to 8 AM on Asar 24.
The chief administrative officer, Hemraj Ghartimagar, reportedly left the office for Rukum East on official duty before going missing.
Since 7 AM on Asar 24, none of the seven employees have contacted the municipality or resumed work. Efforts to reach them have failed, with all mobile phones switched off and no presence confirmed in Rukum East.
The rural municipality has appealed to the public for any information on the whereabouts of the missing officials. The statement emphasized the urgent need for them to return or establish contact to avoid further disruption in public service delivery.
“We request the missing employees to contact the office immediately. Anyone with relevant information is urged to inform the rural municipality at the earliest,” the statement reads.
The incident has raised serious questions about governance, transparency, and accountability at the local level, especially amid frequent allegations of corruption in public procurement and payment systems.
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